Jefferson County executive reports modest sales-tax growth, cautious on marijuana revenue pending court ruling

County Executive told the Jefferson County Council that Jefferson County’s year-to-date general revenue through May 2025 stands at $6,759,819.51, an increase of 1.74% over the same period last year.

The County Executive said the county has collected $333,821 in sales tax from recreational marijuana through May and that, at the current pace, the county could receive about $1 million by year-end. He warned that a pending lawsuit over whether counties may keep “stackable” sales revenue could force the county to return about half of that amount if the courts rule against local stacking.

Why it matters: The County Executive said sales tax is one indicator of local economic activity and that the recreational marijuana revenue is a new, uncertain revenue stream. He told the council, “we're not gonna spend any money until the court case is decided,” saying the county will not commit those receipts while the litigation remains unresolved.

Details and context: The County Executive emphasized that sales tax is only one gauge of the county’s fiscal health and noted that the current marijuana receipts are below earlier expectations. If courts later require counties to return stackable sales tax collected from incorporated areas, the County Executive said the county could be required to return roughly half of any marijuana-related receipts it receives.

No formal action: The council received the report; no vote was taken on spending or allocating the marijuana receipts during the meeting.

Forward look: The County Executive reminded members that the county will hold off spending the receipts until the court resolves the stacking issue and encouraged patience from constituents and council members regarding use of these funds.